A flow cytometer adapted to both detect and treat mammalian cells, containing means for affixing a label to cellular material and thereafter removing such label.
Flow cytometers are well known to those skilled in the art. By way of illustration and not limitation, one may refer to, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,198,110, 6,197,744, 6,197,593, 6,197,540, 6,197,539, and the like.
Most of the prior art flow cytometers are relatively large and unwieldy and, thus, cannot readily accompany a patient in his everyday endeavors. Furthermore, most prior art flow cytometers are not adapted to sample cellular material directly; the analyte generally used with these prior art machines must be extracted and prepared in vitro from a cellular source.
It is an object of this invention to provide a flow cytometer which is portable, which can be affixed to the body of a patient, which can directly sample cellular material, and which can treat cellular material.
It is another object of this invention to provide a flow cytometer which can be used therapeutically as well as diagnostically.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a flow cytometer which comprises means for sampling cellular material, a means for marking cells within said bodily fluid with a marker to produce marked cells, means for analyzing the cellular material, means for removing such marker from the marked cells, means for sorting the cellular material, means for modifying a portion of the cellular material, and means for maintaining a portion of the cellular material which has been analyzed in a viable state.